Where to start?

[Amy]

Where do I start with reloading?

Books and info are a must. It seems everyone has books published. Powder makers, bullet makers, machinery and tool makers, they all have books on the subject but which are applicable.

If you were using a Lee press with Aliant powder and Sierra bullets, whos book do you read and follow for weights and measures?


I learn best by doing it hands on and seeing is realy believing.

Is there a home loader in my part of the world of Worcestershire who is willing to show me how its done? sign85

[20series]

Spud has some excellent videos on youtube.
good place to start :cheers:
Alan


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibBrpUO3 ... re=g-all-c[/youtube]

[ovenpaa]

Amy, books and videos are great however it is always good if you can find a local reloader to let you try it yourself so you know what seating a bullet feels like, how much pressure is needed to push a primer in and how to look for signs of damage on a case. Once you have the basics then videos and reading are going to make more sense.

[Amy]

Yeah, I figgered as much. We all learn differently and this old Chinese saying sums it up for me.

Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I might remember
Involve me and I will understand.

Thats why I left school with bugger all and ive still got most of it left.

[1066]

The first thing I would do Amy is have a think about what you want to get out of your reloading - will you be using your rifle on the range or only in the field. Are you looking for the best possible accuracy or the cheapest possible shooting, the two don't usually go hand-in-hand.

Reloading for the .223 is a good place to start, you should get good results right from the start using basic common components and known recipes. You have a great rifle with a good barrel and it should be capable of excellent accuracy. I guess it has a 1in8 twist barrel so bullets up to 75-80 grains are what you want. The shopping list of what you need to get started can be as long as your arm but there are a few basics that you really can't do without.

You mentioned a manual - The Lee reloading manual gives a lot of good information.

You are going to need some powder - I would start with something that is readily available. If you have a local dealer who stocks the Vihtavuori range you will find something suitable there.
You will need some small rifle primers - Whatever they have in stock is usually ok.
Bullets - Field or target? Something like Sierra SMK 77gn are regular range fodder but no heavier than that if you have the 1 in 8 barrel.

Your PPU cases will be ok to reload or you could splash out and buy a box of Lapua cases, you should be able to reload these at least 10 times.

Basic machinery to do the job will include a solid single stage press, a set of dies, and set of scales, something like the RCBS 502 or 505's or the Redding No 2 scales. The press and the scales will last a lifetime. A powder measure is useful as is a powder trickler but you could get away with the Lee dippers.

There are loads of other bits you will aquire, some essential like an inside/outside neck deburring tool and a vernier caliper and some that are just nice to have like a flash hole deburrer or a primer pocket uniformer.

So, do some reading first, ask loads of questions, try and find someone local to help you get off the ground then get going. Once you have shot your first reloads you'll be hooked.

This is a good guide to get you started and give you a lot of information about loading the .223.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/

[Amy]

More questions.

Lee Vs Lyman - ive done a lot of reading. From what I can see, Lee is half the price of Lyman. Is it a case of paying for a name? Do you realy get twice the quality/performance for twice the dosh?

Trimmers. - Lee zip trim £25 Vs Lyman universal £99. Whats the diffference?

Tumblers - ditto

Media Vs washing machine cleaning?

Lee perfect powder measurer £29 Vs Lee powder scale ? Explain the different method

Seems to me like there are several ways of doing the same job. Is it horses for courses or just personal preference for ease and speed?

Then we have powders. If you compare like with like for your chosen case, bullet, load etc, whats the difference between brands? Is it brand loyalty preference, price, etc etc.

So much to learn.

[Mr_Logic]

which part of Worcestershire are you? There are parts which are not tooo far away, if you can't find anyone closer.

Tumbler - IMHO an essential item, couldn't get on with ultrasonic stuff. Mine is a Lyman and it works OK. Got my brother a dinky little thing in the states for about $30 and it works very well!

Powder measure and scale are both essential. The measure allows you to throw a charge of powder, and the scale tells you how much you have thrown. For best accuracy you need a trickler as well, so what you do is throw the charge slightly light, to allow for variation, and then trickle powder one or two kernels at a time into the scale, until you have the weight you need. It's the most consistent way.

However, you can also throw the right charge and accept some variance (which is not dangerous, unless you're already too hot). For informal plinking or the destruction of wildlife, this works just fine and is a LOT quicker. Ball powder can be thrown so accurately that there is no trade-off.

Trimmers - don't bother. Lee do a different system, just get the cutter, and the guide for the calibre, and off you go. More accurate than a trimmer IMHO, and it's about £5 for the guide and the same for the trimmer. Power screwdriver is a must, though.

Lee is generally good kit - it's not the best, but you can make very good ammo with it, and it's a lot cheaper.

[Mr_Logic]

Also, I gather you're looking at 223? I must have missed the background post here - what do you want to do with the rifle and thus what do you need the ammo to do? I've spent so long with the 223 I know most of the recipes for it off by heart!! (it's a bit sad really :))

[DaveT]

More questions.

Lee Vs Lyman - ive done a lot of reading. From what I can see, Lee is half the price of Lyman. Is it a case of paying for a name? Do you realy get twice the quality/performance for twice the dosh?

Trimmers. - Lee zip trim £25 Vs Lyman universal £99. Whats the diffference?

Tumblers - ditto

Media Vs washing machine cleaning?

Lee perfect powder measurer £29 Vs Lee powder scale ? Explain the different method

Seems to me like there are several ways of doing the same job. Is it horses for courses or just personal preference for ease and speed?


Then we have powders. If you compare like with like for your chosen case, bullet, load etc, whats the difference between brands? Is it brand loyalty preference, price, etc etc.

So much to learn.

Amy.... if you can then always 'try before you buy'....... the Lee Zip Trim is trash so if you only have a limited number of cartridges to do at any one time then a standard Lee trimmer for your calibre is both cheap and effective.... at the other end of the cost spectrum a £100+ Wilson trimmer lathe is brilliant!

Get a basic (Frankford Arsenal or Lyman) dry media tumbler with Corn Cob media...... again you can buy a wet media Thumblers tumbler at 4 or more times the cost and it for sure cleans better BUT the outlay is high.

If you buy a powder measure then you need a scale AS WELL because the Powder measure / thrower pumps out a VOLUME measure whereas you need a consistent WEIGHT in the cartridge.... so you throw and check the weight as a second step....going back to adjust the thrower until its about right whereupon you might need a trickler to top up to a precise weight!

Again IMHO the Lee scale is no good BUT the powder thrower CAN BE if you get a good one.

My preference is for a good quality digital scale.

Powders....... Vihtavouri is usually cheaper than american brands sold by the pound BUT .... you will need to experiment to find one that best suits your Rifle , Bullet etc..... home in on at least two powders that suit your needs and see if you can buy or (better still!) 'blag' enough for load testing.... just be VERY sure about its suitability for your calibre and bullet weight and start LOW in the load tables.

I think that you can see why most people recommend a mentor first!

[rox]

Lee Vs Lyman

Discussions about Lee kit often end up being quite heated. Some people love it, some hate it. It’s not like Marmite though; quite a lot of people find that a one or two items of Lee kit work perfectly well for them. I wonder if it’s actually possible to make statements about Lee kit that don’t provoke 'strong disagreement' – I’ll have a go…

• Lee kit is often cheaper than other brands.
• Lee kit is rarely as well finished as the premium brands (not that this necessarily affects its performance).
• Some Lee designs are relatively unique among mass produced kit.
• Some Lee kit is chosen by serious accuracy nuts.
• Some Lee items are almost universally regarded as significantly inferior to equivalents from other brands (aka cr*p).

A lot of reloading kit can probably be summed-up along the lines of the 'Dutch Bicycle Engineer' principle, i.e:
Cheap, Fast, Accurate. Pick any two.

Consequently, as mentioned previously, due consideration needs to be given to your reloading goals before much advice can be given about selecting kit. For example: How much time can you devote to reloading? How much ammo do you need to produce? How many calibres (and rifles) do you need to load for? What are the applications (and consequently accuracy goals)? What are your financial goals/constraints, both for reloading equipment and components?

Obviously your requirements may change. I used to have the luxury of spending a day per week to load my weekly usage of 200 rounds or so. These days I’m lucky if I have 2 hours to make 100 rounds for the weekend. Switching my two criteria from 'cheap' and 'accurate' to 'fast' and 'accurate' has been a very expensive exercise, but good kit will last for many years and should be regarded as an investment.

..